Would like feedback on this E9 listed for Sale

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Tate

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Hello, I’m new here, but have been using the Search Function to learn more about these cars, including the Companies that restore them & the Dealers who list them.

Below is an E9 listed for sale in Europe (I live in Seattle, WA.) I wasn’t able to find info about this particular listing here, or much about the dealer (perhaps there is, but I wasn’t able to come across it). I’ve emailed back & forth with the dealer, & he’s been a pleasure to work with. However, I’d like to get some objective feedback, from the members here. Again, I’m new here & my knowledge is extremely limited on these cars, restorations & the companies who traffic in them. Any & all feedback would be greatly appreciated (including potential registration issues with a vehicle imported from Europe)

Listening link: https://www.classix.se/cars-for-sale/260-bmw-3-0-csi-e9-137-000

YouTube link:

Thank you!
 
Welcome @Tate, other members are more qualified than I am to comment on this car. That said if you’re in the market for a car that has had a lot of work done on it and havent already checked it out make sure you look at the coupe @HB Chris is helping sell - buying something stateside would save you all of the importation challenges and potentially let you see the car in person if you’d be willing to travel to it
HB Chris

Thread 'CSi Still for Sale'

I listed this CSi on BaT in July and no bidders showed up. He would still like to sell and the price he will consider it is a steal in my mind. If you know of anyone who might be interested please have them contact me, I will not post the price here. I was very impressed with the quality of the restoration, the work done to it by sfdon and the way it drove.

bringatrailer.com

Euro 1972 BMW 3.0CSi

Bid for the chance to own a Euro 1972 BMW 3.0CSi at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #201,273.
bringatrailer.com bringatrailer.com
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The idea of advertising a high value car in a dark forest in the shade just confounds me.
 
I watched the video and the car looks very complete and the restoration work that was visible looked good.

A couple of observations, there may be something going on around the tail lights. It may only be that there is some black gasket compound showing at the edges of the chrome. Missing from the presentation, but you may have seen pictures seperately is the condition of the firewall behind the right and left had glove boxes. This is a rust prone area to consider.

I looked at the car on their site and the asking price is ~€135k, or ~$156k and that is before any shipping or duty. I would look here for one that is in very nice condition, for example the one mentione above by @offpage and offered for sale by @HB Chris. @HB Chris is well known and highly respected as an owner and restorer of these cars and given it is on the west coast, as you are, would make it worth your time to fly or drive to the bay area for an inspection with @sfdon who has a shop that specializes in restoring and maintaining these vehicles.
 
I have seen the car that @HB Chris is helping to sell. Having his positive opinion on any E9 I was looking to buy, would help assuage many fears & concerns I’d have. However, on that particular E9, the red interior & lack of AC are negatives for me. I understand the red leather is a favorite for many people, but for me, with the blue - I’d love a brown cognac leather. Perhaps I’m being too picky &/or missing the forest for the trees here. Again, I’m new & just being honest about my color preference.
 
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sfdon said:
The idea of advertising a high value car in a dark forest in the shade just confounds me.
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Interesting you mention that,… I thought so too. Then, after reading/watching hours of content on E9s, I read or heard (I don’t remember which) someone say that Chamonix White really shows well at dusk!!! I immediately thought back to this video & wondered if that’s why he filmed it there & then
 
I searched for the dealer’s name & company on this site. Aside from an off comment, I couldn’t find anything. Likewise with this particular car.

I also did searches on companies like Oldenzaal, Scuderia Sportiva, Germany Exlusive, & few others, to see what the members here, thought of their work/reputation.
 
You will hear some mixed, and some very negative reviews on Oldenzaal and their attention to detail.

I recommend that you list the attributes that are must-haves for you (sounds like AC is one of them), and what colors you can live with. Post a Want to Buy (WTB) in the cars for sale section and keep watching here for the discussions about the cars for sale on Bring-a-Trailer, Hemmings Motor News, Auto Trader Classics, and various dealers. Also, do a search on the cars for sale thread on this site to see what may still be for sale.

You will find a nice coupe that ticks most of your boxes, but it could take a little time. No rush, prices are depressed so it is a great time to pick up a great deal for less money than you might otherwise spend.
 
I'm sort of sick of people claiming how well a car is restored when it is obvious they don't know what an original Csl looks like.

The list starts here- others can chime in. I think a very high price for a car with so many apparent issues.

When will sellers in Europe start vetting their cars BEFORE they advertise them? Claims of perfection in a sea of faults is the road to failure.

BTW- I have new window switch blanks for sale to replace those not so perfect ones in the car!


The boot for the cold start valve is wrong, the wires are running over the intake instead of underneath. The 2 plastic reservoirs are old and dirty, the bolts at the brake reservoir should be screws, the wires are in the wrong place, the rubber seal on the firewall is the terrible Walloth part, the vacuum line to the distributor is NOT supposed to be a plastic tube.
The sway bar in the rear is assembled with washers and the big washers on the compliance bushings by the tow hooks are on backwards.

They forgot the decals under the fender grills and they forgot to paint the rocker panels black, sadly the C pillar roundel is the new bizarre shade of blue.

One clip on the airbox is backwards and all the clips for the windshield washer hose are missing and hose is routed wrong.

Who installs cheap silver zinc calipers when the whole world knows they should be yellow?

Nice car- but not restored in a serious BMW shop.

And yes- it looks like black goo is oozing from the left rear tail light frame. Good eye Mr. boonies!
 
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boonies said:
You will hear some mixed, and some very negative reviews on Oldenzaal and their attention to detail.

…. would make it worth your time to fly or drive to the bay area for an inspection with @sfdon who has a shop that specializes in restoring and maintaining these vehicles.
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boonies - Thanks for the replies & info!

Regarding Oldenzaal - That was my experience while doing searches/research here.

Regarding @sfdon - It’s been apparent to me, from what I’ve read, he, along with HB Chris, really know these vehicles well. Your comment is another example - Thanks!
 
sfdon said:
I'm sort of sick of people claiming how well a car is restored when it is obvious they don't know what an original Csl looks like.

The list starts here- others can chime in. I think a very high price for a car with so many apparent issues.

When will sellers in Europe start vetting their cars BEFORE they advertise them? Claims of perfection in a sea of faults is the road to failure.

BTW- I have new window switch blanks for sale to replace those not so perfect ones in the car!


The boot for the cold start valve is wrong, the wires are running over the intake instead of underneath. The 2 plastic reservoirs are old and dirty, the bolts at the brake reservoir should be screws, the wires are in the wrong place, the rubberseal on the firewall is the terrible Walloth part, the vacuum line to the distributor is NOT supposed to be a plastic tube.
The sway bar in the rear is assembled with washers and the big washers on the compliance bushings by the tow hooks are on backwards.

They forgot the decals under the fender grills and they forgot to paint the rocker panels black, sadly the C pillar roundel is the new bizarre shade of blue.

One clip on the airbox is backwards and all the clips for the windshield washer hose are missing and hose is routed wrong.

Who installs cheap silver zinc calipers when the whole world knows they should be yellow?

Nice car- but not restored in a serious BMW shop.

And yes- it looks like black goo is oozing from the left rear tail light frame. Good eye Mr. boonies!
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sfdon,

Thanks for taking the time to look at & give your feedback - This is exactly what I was hoping for with this posting,.. particularly from someone with your experience, knowledge & background.

Much appreciated!!
 
Tate - I’m here in Seattle as well, you’re welcome to come see my vehicle if you want to see a red interior in person on these - it looks quite nice. That being said, it may be far cheaper to buy the one that @HB Chris is advertising and have the seats re-dyed to cognac or reupholstered.
 
e9Leveque said:
Tate - I’m here in Seattle as well, you’re welcome to come see my vehicle if you want to see a red interior in person on these - it looks quite nice. That being said, it may be far cheaper to buy the one that @HB Chris is advertising and have the seats re-dyed to cognac or reupholstered.
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e9Leveque - Thanks for the offer!! Another issue with the red interior, that I haven’t mentioned,… it’s my Girlfriend’s least favorite color (there - I said it!). Your latter suggestion is definitely worth considering
 
Some nice ones there! If you haven’t imported a car before, it is a bit of a process. I purchased a Mustang up in Vancouver and drove it down here to Seattle. There is a lot of paperwork and especially nowadays I question the additional cost that can come up re:tariffs, etc. As perhaps the newest owner in this thread, I’d say you’re doing the right thing in asking around because these guys are a wealth of knowledge. I’ll also say that the ability to purchase a car that others have laid eyes on and even worked on is priceless. Not sure if you’re looking for a driver or a show car or a project car, or if you plan to do any repairs yourself, but in my estimation you would do far better having the car advertised here just re-colored on the inside. Alternatively you might be able to find someone who wants a red interior and would sell you their any-color interior since all you need is the seats but not the leather if you’re actually re-upholstering. The sale of your newer red interior could help defray the cost of you getting the color you want, and I’m going to guess that the total will be quite a bit less than the $156 they want for that overseas car, and that’s before any import fees, etc, AND you’re getting a mechanically sound vehicle.
 
e9Leveque said:
Some nice ones there! If you haven’t imported a car before, it is a bit of a process. I purchased a Mustang up in Vancouver and drove it down here to Seattle. There is a lot of paperwork and especially nowadays I question the additional cost that can come up re:tariffs, etc. As perhaps the newest owner in this thread, I’d say you’re doing the right thing in asking around because these guys are a wealth of knowledge. I’ll also say that the ability to purchase a car that others have laid eyes on and even worked on is priceless. Not sure if you’re looking for a driver or a show car or a project car, or if you plan to do any repairs yourself, but in my estimation you would do far better having the car advertised here just re-colored on the inside. Alternatively you might be able to find someone who wants a red interior and would sell you their any-color interior since all you need is the seats but not the leather if you’re actually re-upholstering. The sale of your newer red interior could help defray the cost of you getting the color you want, and I’m going to guess that the total will be quite a bit less than the $156 they want for that overseas car, and that’s before any import fees, etc, AND you’re getting a mechanically sound vehicle.
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You make some very good points.

Personally, I’m not a collector & not looking for a show car, a project car or daily driver - I’m looking for a car that’s been properly restored & sorted, low mileage, no rust. Something I can confidently drive & not be worried about being stranded in. A car that’s in about as good condition as one could hope for. Something I can take out occasionally, maybe a few thousand miles a year. I’m not mechanical inclined & would need to have someone in my area, that could work on the car when needed.
 
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umm, just wondering. I know you are new to these cars, and have been up front about your knowledge level, and mechanical aptitude regards tackling any repairs or maintenance. In my opinion, purchasing anything that will be tariffed is unnecessarily expensive and you would surely find a better buy within the US. That one listed in your post has no a/c in the video that I saw. if you are looking for the best available right now, and look just South to California, you cannot ever do any better than an E9 vetted by HBChris, and having read SFDon's comments on the car for sale in Sweden, I wonder why you would still consider overpaying (in my opinion) for one that, well, as you learn more about these wonderful cars, you will perhaps feel as we do. You may come to actually appreciate that red interior, it has happened before! Take E9Leveque up on his offer, and fly to California to actually inspect that car for sale there. I am sure it will be worth it. Perhaps you can just drive it home. Now there is a story! Good luck in your pursuit of the Coupe that is right for you. Mike
 
bluecoupe30! said:
umm, just wondering. I know you are new to these cars, …..and have been up front about your knowledge level, and mechanical aptitude regards tackling any repairs or maintenance. In my opinion, purchasing anything that will be tariffed is unnecessarily expensive and you would surely find a better buy within the US. That one listed in your post has no a/c in the video that I saw. if you are looking for the best available right now, and look just South to California, you cannot ever do any better than an E9 vetted by HBChris, and having read SFDon's comments on the car for sale in Sweden, I wonder why you would still consider overpaying (in my opinion) for one that, well, as you learn more about these wonderful cars, you will perhaps feel as we do. You may come to actually appreciate that red interior, it has happened before! Take E9Leveque up on his offer, and fly to California to actually inspect that car for sale there. I am sure it will be worth it. Perhaps you can just drive it home. Now there is a story! Good luck in your pursuit of the Coupe that is right for you. Mike
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I was unaware of Tariffs on cars coming from Sweden. In fact, I’ve never imported a car before, & know very little of what’s involved,.. that goes for registration on imported cars, too.

In my correspondence with the Dealer in Sweden, I asked if they shipped vehicles to the US & what that entails. He told me they did, & they use a shipping Broker/Agent, along with a brief description of the process. It wasn’t a deep dive, I didn’t ask for that, at that point, I wanted to know if they did, before I spent more time on his vehicles.

The reason I joined this forum is learn more about these cars. Thanks to comments from you & others - I am.
 
Hi Tate - welcome to E9 Coupe. You came to the right place as you can read and see. I was in the exact same boat as you, and waited patiently (a year to be exact) for the car that was just right for me: a fully restored coupe that our expert friends here gave a glowing thumbs up to. My friendly advice, for what its worth, is to network around for cars for sale, both here and elsewhere. Talk to the leading shops, they may know of a car that is not on the market yet. I think that Blue Coupe HBChris is representing is an outstanding example. Its always better to buy a well restored chassis and mechanical package. If your girlfriend doesn't like the red, you can always have it dyed or replaced. SFDON has a beautiful rolls royce red (cognac) interior in his car that would look awesome in the blue car. If you really want AC, you can always add that too. Heck, that white car in Sweden is $150K, plus shipping and fees .and you really don't know exactly how well its done, You could buy the blue car, put in the color interior you want, add the AC, and get exactly what you want and save 30K anyways compared to the Sweden car. Food for thought. In any event, good luck finding the car that's right for you and keep us posted, We are all happy to help! :) -Jim
 
well you can’t say we are afraid to state our opinions! Tate, I think you’re getting a very strong message here but of course it’s your money, your choice. Regarding the red interior, will say that it isn’t something I would ever have thought I would like, but in person, wow! Similar experience when I bought a Tesla many years ago, they hadn’t yet “released” the white interior and the rep from the company convinced me to do it. “White interior? no way!” was my initial thought. So glad I pulled the trigger - really interesting, made the interior feel spacious, etc. So just to say that I think you should see it in person. Maybe you and your girlfriend need to take a weekend trip down to sunny California - this weekend is nice here in Seattle but the weather is changing soon…
 
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